NBA Opening Night Preview

steemsports (80)in #steemsports • 7 years ago

SteemSports Presenter:@hogan22

SteemSports Editor:@scottybuckets

In just a little over 24 hours the 2017 NBA Season will be under way! And the NBA gods blessed us with two fantastic games! There were tons of offseason moves this summer and some blockbuster trades and free agent signings. None bigger than these 2.

The power in the Eastern Conference may have just shifted and possibly for good. It got started when the Boston Celtics signed free agent wing player Gordon Hayward who had spent his several previous years playing for the Utah Jazz. It's a welcome move for Hayward as he played his college basketball at Butler University for Brad Stevens, who is now his coach in Boston.

But that wasn't the only big move that the Celtics made. A few weeks after the Cleveland Cavs lost in the NBA Finals, rumors started swirling that Lebron James and Kyrie Irving were beefing and wanted nothing to do with each other. Kyrie finally requested a trade and the Celtics General Manager, Danny Ainge, came calling. They were able to work out a trade that sent Celtics starters Isiah Thomas and Jae Crowder, along with a 1st round pick, to the Cavs for Kyrie Irving. Thomas is hurt and out until January as Irving makes the Celtics the most feared team in the East.

And we don't have to wait long to see Kyrie and Lebron go head to head. They are the opening game tomorrow night as the Cavs host the Celtics. Lebron has been nursing a sprained ankle for a week and his status is up in the air, but I don't doubt that he will be playing. Suiting up next to James in the starting line up will be his old running mate, Dwyane Wade. Wade was recently released from the Chicago Bulls and signed with Cleveland. In another twist, former Bulls guard, Derrick Rose, will be playing point guard. This team would have been legendary 5 years ago. How will Lebron mesh with the new line up?

The second game of this opening night double header will be fantastic too. The NBA Champion Golden State Warriors are playing the Houston Rockets. The Warriors team remains intact with only a few small changes like the addition of Swaggy P off the bench. But there was big news for the Houston Rockets this offseason. They added Chris Paul to a team that thinks they can compete with the top of the Western Conference. Will Paul be able to catapult them near the top? Not likely, but they will definitely be a playoff team and should be a lot of fun to watch. The over/under in this game is 231 points, which means it should be one hell of a shootout.

With so many exciting moves this summer, the NBA fans are buzzing with excitement, and I am one of them. There is a full slate of games on Wednesday. Who are you rooting for on opening night? Thanks for following @steemsports and you can find me @hogan22